A Cruel Twist of Fate: Carvajal's Injury Overshadows Real Madrid's Win

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Ancelotti, stung by the defeat in the Champions League, sought to strengthen the midfield and give his team greater control. To achieve this, he opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Modrić in the engine room, sacrificing Rodrygo. Up front, the duo of Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. offered pace and trickery. 
 
Villarreal, for their part, surprised with a 4-3-3 (almost a 4-5-1 in the defensive phase) with which they sought to control possession and exploit the speed of Nicolas Pepé and Álex Baena on the wings, either side of spearhead Thierno Barry. 
 
The home side came roaring out the blocks early on and soon took the lead. A short corner taken by Modrić ended with a rocket of a shot from Valverde from the edge of the box which, after taking a deflection off Baena, flew past Conde into the net. Villarreal, far from surrendering, dominated possession and created danger with the incursions of Pepé and the runs of Barry. Madrid, sluggish and lacking ideas, relied on the bursts of Vinícius, who tormented the Yellow Submarine defence. The Brazilian almost set up Mbappé on the counter-attack, but the Frenchman was not clinical enough with his finish. 
 
The second half continued in a similar vein, with the away side dictating the tempo and Madrid struggling to gain a foothold. Villarreal coach Marcelino's men even appealed for a penalty when Tchouaméni brought down Barry, but the referee ruled it out for offside. 
 
Ancelotti, sensing his team's struggles, introduced Militão for Camavinga to bolster the defence, and Rodrygo for Mbappé to add more attacking inspiration. The game was finally put to bed in the 72nd minute. Valverde won possession in midfield and released Vinicius, who unleashed a thunderous strike from distance that left Diego Conde with no chance. It was a moment of individual brilliance that sealed the win for Madrid. 
 
Villarreal, despite the two-goal deficit, refused to give up and continued to probe for a way back into the game. Substitute Ilias caused problems down the left, but Madrid, with Rüdiger in commanding form, held firm. In stoppage time, disaster struck for Madrid. Dani Carvajal, after a seemingly innocuous challenge with substitute Pino, collapsed to the ground in agony. The full-back's knee buckled horribly, leaving players and fans alike fearing the worst. As Carvajal was stretchered off in tears, a dark cloud was cast over Madrid's victory at the Bernabéu.